Society for Pre and Post Natal Services (SPANS)

Organization type:

Non-Governmental Organization (NGO)

Organization status:

Non-profit organization

Description:

SPANS promotes and supports antenatal, perinatal nutrition and postnatal care (APPC) to promote good mental health-care across the life cycle with particular attention on the pre- and post-natal phase.

Society for Pre and Post Natal Services (SPANS)’s mission is to be strategically positioned and to provide an effective clinical practice of family therapy/counselling, psychological support, research and education, thereby not only to saving lives, but to health-care utilization, quality of care and improving quality of life locally, nationally, regionally and globally.

Summary of relevant work:

Sound mental health and social well-being are important factors enabling people to live useful lives, contribute actively to community living, maintain, plan and care for their families. Maternal mental health is a widespread public health issue that impacts the wellbeing, emotional, the psychological balance, the attitudes and livelihood of many mothers making coping with the many tasks of child care, their infants and their families difficult. In order for the baby to be properly cared for, the baby needs a physically, emotionally, psychologically and mentally capable mother, in addition to a supportive environment provided by the father and extended family. This may improve not only their own mental wellbeing, but also provides better conditions for the optimal development of their babies.

SPANS, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aims to realise the global goal of reducing by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and wellbeing by 2030. SPANS also aims to engage with mothers-to-be and fathers-to-be to empower them, provide support and practical help on child development in a psychologically, therapeutic manner.

Activities for Society for Pre and Post Natal Services since 2016

We supported the National World Breasting Feeding week for 2016 as a participant

We supported World Mental Health Day 2016 as a participant

We supported World AIDS Day 2016 as a participant

We strengthen collaboration between national, regional and international research for mental health by integrating Maternal and Mental Health and we are the hosts of the approved 1st International Conference on Maternal Mental Health in Africa (ICAMMHA) held on 12-16 December 2016 under the support of Ministry of Health and child care and other stakeholders

SPANS collaborateed with the Association of Paediatric of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Confederation of Midwives, the Ministry of Health and Child Care as well as the World Health Organisation (WHO) to provide technical support

The Cambridge Scholar Publishers intends to publish the ICAMMHA conference

The National AIDS COUNCIL also supported the ICAMMHA conference with communication materials

We supported the National World breast feeding week for 2017 as a participant

Planned activities for 2017

To provide clinical practice of family counselling sessions which will be one-on-one for men and women in order to reduce adverse life events, address trauma, promote recovery and resilience and avoid re-traumatizing

We are planning the expansion of the International Conference on Maternal Mental Health in Africa (ICAMMHA) by hosting another symposium for year two of the conference. The conference which is expected to attract 300 delegates, including family therapists, midwives, doctors, students, etc. from countries such as South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Namibia, Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, etc

To implement interventions to manage family crises and provide care and support to families

To establish a nutrition village attached to each district clinic or hospital where women and their children can be sent to before leaving the clinic or hospital. Here they will spend two weeks purely receiving nourishing food, participating in training process in nutrition similar to their own villages

Training of village workers / lay health workers to reduce adverse life events